Tufting attachment



April 21, .19427 i TUFTING '"ATTACHMENT.'

Filed May 5, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .57 a r//My5../. Mo-s,

T. J. AMos4 2,280,277

Patented Apr. 21,A `1942 f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Thomas J. Amos, Rome, Ga., assigner to W. E.

Dellinger, Floyd County, Ga.

Application May 5, 1939, `Serial No. 271,957

(Cl. 11R- 79) 1 Claim.

This invention relates to tufting machinesand more particularly to tufting machine attachments for use with sewing machines of a conventional type having the usual vertically re- `ciprocal needle, and associated fabric feeding mechanism.

One important object of the present invention is to provide a tufting attachment for sewing machines which shall comprise a novel form of thread looper and cutter members constructed and arranged to cooperate with a thread carrying needle to form loops and tufts in `a base fabric in a more emcient and uniform vmanner than heretofore accomplishedby similar devices.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tufting machine attachment of the character i designated including a novel arrangement of looper hook and improved mechanism for operating the same.

`A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the vcharacter designated in which the looper and associated cutter members shall be mounted for` direct operation by the needle operating shaft of the standard type sewing machine.

A further objectof the invention is to provide a simplifiedV arrangement of thread looper and cutter members which shall be mounted on a bearing bracket projecting from the sewing machine base in close proximity to the path of movement of the needle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel thread looper and cutter unit construction in which the number of moving parts shall be reduced to a minimum, more durable in construction, and more efficient in operation than similar apparatus heretofore proposed.

These `and other objects of the invention will be moreiapparent from the following specification and drawings and specifically set forth in the claim. f

In the drawings:

Figrl is a perspective View of a sewing machine embodying the novel tufting attachment;

Fig. 2 is a front View elevation showing the looper and cutter parts;

Fig. 3 is an end view partially in section of the device shown in Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a skeleton view of the sewing machine and tufting attachment parts.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, there is shown a conventional type of sewing machine head indicated by the numeral I0. This head includes the usual arrangement of a work supporting base plate II and a housing arm l2 ythe shaft 2t and flywheel 2l'.

upon which is mounted a casing head portion I3. This casing head I3 includes the usual operating mechanism for a vertically reciprocable needle bar I4 with its thread carrying needle l5 and the associated presser foot bar mechanism indicated by the numeral I6. Underneath the base platell is mounted a pair of parallel rock shafts I'I-l which are connected to operate feed mechanism indicated by the numeral I9 for moving a base fabric in cooperation with the needle `and presser foot as well understood in the art. These devices are operated in synchr-onism from a common source of power indicated by The shaft 20 includes the usual arrangement of cam members 22, 23, and 24 at the rear end of the shaft and a needle operating cam member 25 at the forward end of the shaft.

The cam 22 connects with the work feeding rock shaft l1 by a link 2t and the cam 23 connects with a cooperating work feed shaft I8 by means of alink 21. These are the usual parts `associated in a standard type sewing machine oscillate in a path in alignment with the movei ment of the base fabric in passing beneath the needle during the formation of the desired tufts in the base fabric. The connection for the looper includes a central longitudinally disposed rock shaft 29 mounted in a pair of depending supi port brackets 3e and 3l forming a rigid part of the base structure Il.

One of the important featuresof this arrangement is that the looper is mounted in close proximity to the bearing support bracket and in front of the same so that it is readily accessible for any removal or repair of these parts when desired for any reason, and also for ready adjustment.

The rear shaft bearing in the bracket 3e is indicated by the numeral 32 and the forward bearing in bracket 3l is indicated by the numeral 33.

' The bracket 3l at the forward end of the base is mounted thereon by a single headed bolt 34 entering a bearing projection 35 which is an integral part of the sewing machine base Il. The bolt is rigidly secured by a nut member 36 as shown in. Fig. 3. This bearing 35 was formerly used to support the bobbin and shuttle operating mechanism of the sewing machine and these parts have been removed to accommodate the depending bracket 3| for the tufting attachment embodying the present invention.

One important feature of this present construction is that the bearing projection 35 being a. standard integral part of the base Il, the tufting attachment may be attached without altering the base in Iany material manner. This is of considerable importance in reducing the cost of converting standard sewing machines into tufting machines because machine work is reduced to a minimum.

The loop device 28 is rigidly mounted on the end of the shaft 29 free and independent of any of the other sewing machine parts. This device includes an angularly disposed adjustable arm 31, an upstanding vertically adjustable rod 38 and a looper hook, member 39 rigidly mounted therein and extending toward the path of reciprocation of the needle l5. The rear end of the looper hook 39 is rigidly mounted in a slotted portion 40 at the upper end of the rod 38 and secured thereto by tap screws 4I-4I. The forward end of the hook 39 is provided with a knife blade portion 42. Intermediate the hook member 39 is an opening 43 for receivinge a threaded pivot pin 44. This pin supports a cooperating cutter member 45 hereinafter more fully described.

The cutter member 45 is in the form of an irregular shaped metal plate having a lower projecting portion provided with ya slot 41 formed therein. The top portion of the plate toward the rear edge thereof is provided with an aperture projection 48 for receiving the pivot pin 44 thereby pivotally connecting the knife member 45 to the looper. Adjacent the pivot connection and extending forwardly thereof on the cutter member is a knife blade edge portion 49. The cutter member is guided in its rocking movement by an arm bracket 59 having a headed pin member 5| mounted in the free end of the bracket arm. 'Ihis headed member 5| engages the slot 41 of the cutter plate member so as to effect the opening and closing of these blade members in cooperative shearing relation during the oscillatory movement of the looper.

It will be noted that the arm 59 carrying the fixed guide pivot may be adjusted laterally of its supporting bracket 3| as well as swung in an arcuate path relative to the movable pivot mounting 44 on the looper hook 39. This provides a convenient adjustment for the cutter blade 49 whenever it is desired to adjust the looper or cutter members to change the form or character of the tufts being formed in the base fabric. The looper and cutter blade portions 42 and 49 are yieldably held in cooperative shearing relation by a warped spring metal plate member 53. This member is retained by pins 4| and 44 so that the nose portion 54 of the plate yieldably engages the knife blade 49.

The direct drive connections between the cam 24 on the power shaft and the looper shaft 29 includes a rod member 55 having a lower end member 56 clamped to the shaft 29 by a tap bolt 51. This rod extends upwardly into the housing |2 so that the upper end terminates to one side of the cam 24 and in close proximity thereto. The upper end of the rod 55 is curved outwardly as indicated by the numeral 58 and the free end is pivotally connected to the cam 24 by a short link member 59 having a cam engaging bearing strap 60. This construction is such that the cam moves the end of rod member 55 with a rocking or oscillatory movement through a small arc. Furthermore this construction provides that these parts shall t within the standard sewing machine housing l2 without any material alteration thereof as indicated by the opening 6| which is a standard part.

'I'he operation of the novel tufting attachment thus described is carried out in the following manner. As a base fabric is fed through the machine to form tufts therein, the needle |5 carries a strand of thread 62 through the base fabric 63 which is fed in alignment with the looper by means of the feed mechanism 9. The looper hook 39 oscillates in a small arc as shown in Fig. 2 wherein the needle is in raised position to commence a cycle of operation. As the needle descends the looper hook moves in time relation to the left of the path of the needle and simultaneously causes the shear blade 49 to ride on its fixed pivot 5| and close in shearing relation with the cooperating looper blade 42. When the needle is at its lower point of travel the looper 39 advances between the thread and the needle, above the needle eye, to hold the thread loop during the retraction of the needle. Simultaneously with the forward oscillation of the looper hook, the cutter blade pivotally connected thereto rides over the fixed pivot 5| thus causing the blade to open and allow for the rearward travel of loops caused by the movement of the fabric. It will therefore be noted that the scissors action of the blades sever loops at each oscillation or cycle of movement of the looper.

If it is desired to produce tufts of a different length, the looper arm 38 is vertically adjustable in the support arm 31 by means of a tap bolt 38' clamping the slotted end of the arm. If this adjustment is of appreciable extent then it may be necessary to adjust the relation of the cutter knife 49 by changing the position of the xed knife pivot 5|.

Should it be necessary to adjust the relative position of the arc of oscillation of the looper relative to the needle |5 to regulate the timed operation of the needle I5 and the looper hook 39, this may be accomplished by adjusting the angular position of the arm 31 on the shaft 29. This is accomplished by a tap bolt 29 clamping the slotted end portion of the arm to the shaft 29.

One important feature of the present simplified construction is that the looper is rigidly mounted on a rock drive shaft and thereby eliminatesall sliding or reciprocatory movements at the forward end of the machine. Furthermore this simplied construction permits the parts to be readily cleaned, repaired or replaced whenever desired. Since the knife is carried by the looper and in front of the same, the looper and the knife may be conveniently removed by disengaging the looper arm 31 from its operating shaft 29. If it should be desired to remove only the knife, this may be done by loosening it from its pivot mounting on the looper blade without effecting the looper adjustments.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim is:

In a tufting machine of the character described, a work support base, a reciprocatory needle, work feed mechanism, means for operating the needle and work feed mechanism in timed relation including a longitudinally disposed rotatable power shaft located above the work support and having a plurality of cam members thereon, a longitudinally disposed rock shaft located below the Work support, a looper blade device, means rigidly mounted directly on the front end of said rock shaft and adapted to oscillate the looper blade toward the path of the needle including an arm having a horizontal opening at one end for receiving the rock shaft, and a vertical opening at the other end for receiving a rigid support for the looper blade, a shear blade formed on said looper, a second shear blade pivotally mounted on the front side of the looper blade and cooper ating with said first shear blade to .sever loops of thread, an arm'rigidly mounted on the rear end of said looper rock shaft and extending upwardly to one side of a cam on said power shaft, a substantially horizontal pivoted link connection between the cam and theupper extremity of said arm, whereby a lateral rocking motion is directly imparted to the looper from the power shaft, and

said looper, shear blades, and needle are operated in direct timed relation, a depending bracket member supported beneath the Workbase by a single lug member, said bracket supporting the members and the other aperture accommodating an adjustable arm forming a fixed pivot for the second shear blade, and means for laterally ad- .'ustingthe arm relative to the second shear blade.

` THOMAS J. AMOS. 

